Disclaimer: Naruto and all associated characters are property of Masashi Kishimoto
Jutsu: Original (Translation)
Bijū/Summon Speaking
Bijū/Summon Thoughts
Naruto mental reply
! - dattebayo
edit 4/20/16
Chapter 13
On the Precipice
Three Months Later – Naruto's Mindscape
Naruto lay sprawled out, asleep on Kurama's paw. Exhausted from his early morning run and physical training, the blond barely managed to create a group of clones to work on sealing and applying seals with taijutsu before he hopped up onto Kurama's right paw and promptly passed out.
Normally Kurama would be indignant at such a thing, but he found himself growing fond of Naruto despite himself. The bond that the chakra spawned fox had with his jinchūriki only became stronger as time passed and with Naruto spending more time within the mindscape the bonding process seemed to have accelerated.
Currently, Naruto had ten clones working away on mastering seal application using chakra with taijutsu against ten other clones who were doing their best to evade and counter their efforts.
Two more clones sat off far from the first group with one clone testing out the reverse gravity seal on another clone.
On the far side of the mindscape sat one clone practicing on level 3 explosive tags. Naruto had learned the hard way that failed explosive tags were far more dangerous then perfected ones.
The last clone was seated at a desk next to Kurama, working on creating a sensor seal capable of detecting chakra and activating any seal linked to it.
Usually, Naruto would have to work on his fūinjutsu on his own, since multiple clones working on one seal wouldn't provide any benefit. Naruto discovered that he could gain some benefit if he made solitary clones work on one seal each while he was busy with other things. Since the clones were so useful in testing the seals, he decided they should, at least, be able to work on creating them as well.
The sensor seal clone noticed that the application clones had stopped moving and were looking quite bored, which was his signal to wake up the boss so he could receive the knowledge they had accumulated.
Usually, Naruto would be required to be conscious for his clones to remain active, but for some reason, the ones created in the mindscape would remain even if he slept. Kurama wasn't certain why Naruto always appeared in his mindscape while he was asleep, but he encouraged Naruto to take advantage of it and create a small group of clones to work on tasks while he did. To prevent any damage to his mind; Kurama limited the group of clones to less than 30 and with strict instructions not to dispel until they received the order from Naruto.
"Hey, Boss! Boss! Wake up!" the clone shook Naruto trying to wake him up.
Naruto just rolled over and murmured nonsense without waking up.
A grin spread across Kurama's face before he quickly tilted his paw to fling Naruto off of it. Naruto woke up in a heap on the ground.
"Huh? What happened? What's going on?" Naruto said half awake.
"Boss, the application clones are ready to dispel. You said I had to wake you up when they were ready." the clone said.
"Hmmm okay," Naruto said as he rubbed his eyes and yawned.
The group of 20 clones finally dispelled which helped jolt Naruto from his sleepy state.
"Alright! I think I can finally apply gravity seals in combat reliably now." Naruto said with a stretch.
He turned to the clone next to him. "How about you? Any luck with the sensor seal?"
"No luck yet, boss. I think I'm getting close, though. I'm certain we have the seal drawn correctly, but it might be how we prioritize the lines that receive chakra first, that is causing it not to activate properly." the clone said as he handed his example over to Naruto.
Naruto studied the drawing for a moment. "You might be right about that. The rest of you will have to dispel now, though, I have to meet with my team at the training ground soon." Naruto said.
"I don't see why you don't just send a clone and continue training. Those menial tasks they have you perform are a waste of our time." Kurama said
"I know, but the team strategies and training are at least useful. I think Kakashi-sensei makes a point of hitting me a few times just to make sure that I am really there too." Naruto replied with a grimace.
Kurama huffed in contempt "Like that silver sloth pervert has provided you with very much. That he still doesn't trust you is no surprise to me. He is deceptive to his very core."
"I used to think that, but now I believe that he is just screwed up, like a lot of the others who grew up during the war. Jiji told me about some of the things Kakashi-sensei did back then. He was already out on the battlefield killing people at the age that I entered the academy." Naruto murmured.
"Be wary of your sympathy, someone as deceitful as him will use it to his advantage," warned Kurama
"I know, it's just that I haven't sensed hate from him towards us for some time now. He also acts more like the less stupid villagers, with a sort of professional indifference." Naruto replied.
"Yet there is always deception with him. Remember his saying about looking underneath the underneath." Kurama retorted.
"I know. At least, it's more time spent with Hinata-chan. It's always nice to make a new friend, and she is more willing to train than Shikamaru and Choji." Naruto said with a smile
"Oh? Is someone thinking about mating the white-eyed vixen?" Kurama grinned.
"W-What? Are you kidding me? It's nothing like that!" Naruto said with embarrassment.
Ever since Naruto had the "talk" with Shizune last month, he would get easily embarrassed when people would tease him about the opposite sex.
For the first few weeks after the "talk", Naruto had eyed all the women around him with suspicion. Currently, he was in the morbid embarrassment phase. Shizune had told him that puberty would hit him soon, and it would change his opinion about the matter.
Naruto was determined to evade anything trying to hit him.
Kurama just chuckled at Naruto's naivety. For all his stoic, serious mannerism and high IQ, he was still just a kit at heart and was naive about so many things.
"I gotta go now, Sasuke said he would trade me one of his Katon jutsu for the Raiton (Lightning) jutsu that jiji gave me," Naruto said before he left the mindscape.
Naruto sat up from where he had flopped down onto the couch and grabbed his keys and Gama-chan to head out. He had already showered and dressed after his workout so he would be ready to leave immediately after his clones woke him up.
Naruto locked his door and took to the rooftops.
Training Ground 7
Sasuke sat with his back against the tree, munching on an onigiri while waiting for Naruto to arrive. The past few months had convinced the raven that at the least, Naruto would be capable of helping him accomplish his goals. He had seen how Naruto had experienced immense growth in strength. He also realized that as long as you were straightforward and honest with Naruto, he would be more willing to assist you with what you needed. He would be a powerful ally against That Man.
Sasuke wouldn't consider himself a friend of Naruto, and he knew the feeling was mutual, but he wouldn't need him to be a friend for what he needed to do. He just needed someone to protect him and help him when the time came to enact his revenge.
Sasuke had to admit that he did enjoy the times that the three of them got together to have lunch, to review what they had learned or when they decided to train more after their scheduled training sessions with Kakashi had ended. Naruto and Sasuke would often have impromptu sparring matches while waiting for Kakashi and had started to work out together in the mornings and evenings.
Sasuke had been trying to test the waters slowly with Naruto and Hinata the past few months, as their team bond solidified. Asking hypothetical questions in a disguise of strategic planning. Naruto definitely had the right mindset, but Sasuke couldn't be sure just how to approach Naruto on the subject. What he had planned would be considered treason by a lot of the village.
Hinata was out of the picture. Her duty to the Hyūga clan was so important to her that he was certain that she would never do anything to jeopardize that. Her entire focus was on paving the way for her to take over the clan and abolish the curse seal. She spent a majority of her free time with her father working on the backroom dealings and politics in preparation.
Hinata was a kind and gentle girl, but Sasuke was certain that Hinata would throw anything away to ensure her goal was accomplished. He could identify with that sentiment, after all, he was in the same situation.
Sasuke knew that Naruto was very close to the Hokage and could get things from him that most others couldn't, but he didn't want to use Naruto for that. He wanted That Man to pay for what he had done so his family could rest in peace. The repercussions of going after That Man were severe, however, and there was a chance that the whole village would turn against him and his allies if that happened.
While Naruto was close to the Hokage, he really didn't have a lot of ties to anyone else. It would take a blind person not to see how a lot of the village treated Naruto with disdain, and in some cases, with outright hatred like Sakura had.
Sasuke didn't know the reason for that, but it might be the key to gaining Naruto on his quest. If the Hokage was implicated in something foul enough, the fact that Naruto was ostracized by the village would make it easy for Naruto to abandon the village for a noble cause.
Sasuke had no doubt that if the cause was noble enough, Naruto would be willing to do just about anything. His moral scale was high, and you could tell that Naruto didn't like lies, manipulation or deception. Sasuke would have to play this carefully because it seemed like Naruto was able to read people easily when they tried to lie or manipulate him.
Sasuke looked up when he heard Naruto jump down from a tree near the entrance of the training ground. Naruto waved and walked over towards him.
"Here is a copy of Raiton: Jibashi (Electromagnetic Murder) that I got from Hokage-jiji," Naruto said as he unsealed a small scroll from his left forearm and handed it to Sasuke.
Sasuke pulled a scrap of paper out of his pocket and gave it to Naruto. "I don't have all these fancy scrolls to use so you will have to make due with that," Sasuke said with a snort.
Naruto just shrugged and leaned up against the tree while he studied the scrap of paper that contained Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu (Phoenix Flower Jutsu). Naruto felt this Katon jutsu would actually be more beneficial to him than Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Great Fireball). Smaller clusters of fireballs that used less chakra were more useful in his mind.
Hinata walked onto the training ground and spotted Sasuke and Naruto already waiting by a tree. Both of them seemed preoccupied with reading at the moment. If she had to guess it was most likely one of their typical jutsu exchanges that they had started over the past month or so. Sasuke was always trying to barter jutsu with Naruto whenever he could. Often using dares or challenges as an incentive, and Naruto was always willing.
She moved towards her teammates and thought over how the past few months had been for her, with her new long term companions. She had enjoyed their communal lunches, and while she could not always join them in their after hours training, she was always welcomed to join them when she did have the time.
Sasuke was still standoffish, but he seemed to curtail his arrogance and treated everyone in a professional manner, for the most part. He did appear to be gravitating more towards Naruto, but she couldn't blame him for that. Naruto just seemed to have this air about him that would calm you and draw you in to be close to him.
Hinata was a little concerned about Sasuke's interest in Naruto since he seemed to be obsessed with revenge and was almost eager to drag Naruto along to get revenge on his brother for killing his clan. Hinata was certain that was what Sasuke had planned at any rate since his brother had slaughtered his entire family. She was no fool to the "scenarios" that Sasuke proposed and going against the laws of the village for your own personal reasons was selfish and self-destructive. Sasuke also didn't hide the fact that he didn't view any of them as friends but useful allies.
Naruto, on the other hand, was such a kind soul. Even if he tried to hide it with that serious expression, she could see it in his actions. He hated seeing injustice or greed and hated liars and thieves. However, Naruto was naive about many things in life.
The harsh realities of clan life in the Hyūga had drilled the naivety of youth out of her, but Naruto for all his intelligence lacked overall experience in the mannerisms of others. Naruto seemed to have an innate ability to tell when people were lying or manipulating him, but his reactions to such things were strange as if he were almost confused about how he should react. She was afraid that Sasuke would be able to drive him down a dark path by exploiting that.
She wasn't sure why so many in the village seemed to hold such disdain or hate for Naruto, but her father had eluded to the fact that it was a matter high in the political machinations of the village as a whole. For good or ill, all the political powers that exist in the community are waging a constant shadow game to permanently secure Naruto in their corner for some reason.
Hinata loathed the political game, and if it weren't her responsibility, she would be more than willing to step away. The thought of leaving Hanabi to those vultures made her ill. She already had to deal with the snobby arrogance of the Main Branch elder council, with their backstabbing machinations. It sometimes felt like they were leeches on her soul with their contempt for others and how they liked to play with peoples lives as if they were a paper doll, easily disposed of.
The thought of Naruto being involved in a game far larger and more sinister than Hyūga politics made her sad. Such a kind and innocent person like him would be torn apart and left as an empty husk or pawn. That would be unfortunate since she could tell he would be quite handsome in a few years.
Hinata knew that she was beginning to develop an attraction to her blonde teammate, but it was evident that he had not hit puberty unlike most of his classmates. When Naruto was ready, she would not be opposed to spending more time with him if he decided to show an interest. Naruto was always kind and respectful to her. He was always willing to spar with her without reservation, even though she was much better at taijutsu than him and usually defeated him soundly. While all the other boys would get upset and even insult a kunoichi that defeated them, Naruto never held it against her and would always compliment her on how strong she was.
Naruto looked up from the paper he was reading as she grew closer.
Hinata had always found it strange that Naruto always seemed to know where everyone was or was capable of tracking down certain people quickly. If she didn't know any better, she would think he was a sensor, but the fact that he would still get caught off guard by jutsu or when Kakashi attacked them with highly unusual weapons or traps led her to believe that he just had uncanny instincts.
"Good Morning, Hinata-chan," Naruto said with a soft smile on his face.
"Hello, Naruto-kun, how are you doing today?" Hinata smiled back at Naruto.
Naruto sighed and put the paper he was reading away. "Sick of D-ranked missions that's for sure. I've been thinking about asking Hokage-jiji to give us a C-rank mission instead, but I'm not sure. We have more than met the requirements to be able to leave the village on a mission."
"Hn, if you convince him to give us a C-rank today then I will give you a Fūton jutsu I saw in the clan library. It's not anything super strong since the Uchiha never really had Fūton users, but the scroll mentioned that it is rare outside of Suna." Sasuke said.
"If that is the case then I will definitely convince Hokage-jiji, don't you worry. We are all more than capable anyways." Naruto said with a smirk
"I think that would be wonderful Naruto-kun. I have never been allowed out of the village. I hope we get to travel somewhere nice like Cha no Kuni (Land of Tea), or even Yu no Kuni (Land of Hot Water). I hear they have some beautiful resorts and markets there." Hinata said with a sigh.
"It would be nice to see more of our world," Naruto said softly as he thought of the Uzumaki clan home, Uzushiogakure
"Where would you like to visit Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.
"Oh, that would be easy. Udon no Kuni (Land of Noodles) of course." Naruto said with a smirk
Sasuke snorted while Hinata giggled. They had become well acquainted with Naruto's ramen obsession during one of their team lunches and found it amusing to watch Naruto perform his ramen ceremony as Hinata dubbed it.
"Where would you want to go Sasuke?" Naruto asked
"Probably Tetsu no Kuni (Land of Iron), if we were allowed. I would like to see how the samurai train and to get a chokuto from there since they make the best swords." Sasuke replied.
"Oh, are my cute little genin making vacation plans already? I know D-ranks are tedious, but it's a little soon to claim to be overworked isn't it?" Kakashi's voice rang out.
Hinata and Sasuke were startled and turned their heads towards Kakashi quickly. Naruto had already been looking at him when he landed.
Kakashi had been subtly testing Naruto's abilities and knew that he had advanced senses of some kind, but he wasn't certain which of his senses were heightened. He suspected he had advanced hearing and possibly smell, based on what he had observed so far. He had ruled out chakra sensing early on since he was still capable of catching him off guard with various jutsu.
"No, Kakashi-sensei were just saying where we would like to visit if we got a mission outside of the village." Hinata admonished him.
"Hmm, you guys are plotting on trying to weasel a C-rank out of the Hokage are you?" Kakashi said with an eye smile.
"We meet the requirements sensei, we should receive one already. We are more than capable." Sasuke said with conviction.
Naruto nodded in agreement with Sasuke. He had already adopted his stoic pose by the time Kakashi turned his focus to him.
Kakashi knew Naruto was capable of more emotions. He had seen Naruto become slightly more open with his teammates whenever he spied on his cute little genin, but any emotions he would display would immediately disappear as soon as Kakashi revealed himself.
The more Kakashi observed Naruto, however, the more that his gut told him that Naruto was Minato and Kushina's son. His legendary obsession with miso ramen with roasted pork and the methodical way he disassembled said ramen with an intense focus was the first clue. It was like Kushina's spirit and Minato's mind.
Naruto hid it well, but Kakashi had pushed him enough during the past few months to see Kushina's temper flare only to be suppressed by Minato's will, in order to maintain that stoic facade he decided to adapt. His determination to train until he would literally drop unconscious along with his tenacity to keep attempting a technique was just like Kushina. His calculating nature as he used tightly controlled groups of clones to test and find a strategy, along with his undeveloped battlefield intellect to adapt on the fly, was just like Minato.
Kakashi didn't blame Naruto for remaining distant from him since he also tried to maintain distance from the boy as well. He needed to be unbiased to see if the Kyūbi had begun to manipulate him or turn him against the village. While Naruto had made some strides by bonding with his team, he still was sorely lacking in close-knit relationships. Only the Hokage truly had an idea what Naruto was like in his unguarded moments.
Kakashi still had some hope for the boy. Naruto had unyielding convictions, and Kakashi could tell that he didn't like people trying to manipulate him. When Kakashi used manipulation or deception against them during training, he could see Naruto's displeasure, even though he tried to hide it. His frown would grow that much deeper, and his eyebrows would sink just a little bit lower.
On occasion, Kakashi would be able to catch Naruto off guard completely and be able to witness one of his rare moments of childishness slip through. While it was difficult to manage such a feat, the effort was well worth the amusement gained from watching Naruto become flustered.
Kakashi had seen more emotion on Naruto's face on the day he pulled a prank on him, then the entire time he had been on Team 7. Kakashi had swapped one of Naruto's manga with an illustrated copy of Icha Icha Paradise. Naruto opened what he believed to be a historical manga, to reveal a particularly steamy sex scene. Naruto had acted like a scalded cat and had a hard time keeping his stoic mask in place for the rest of the day.
That little prank was well worth the ass chewing he got from the Hokage, who learned about the incident when Naruto innocently asked the Hokage why people would grapple while naked. Kakashi had never seen the normally stone-faced Hokage exhibit such a look of shock before.
That incident led to Shizune giving Naruto the "talk" and Kakashi had to do everything he could to not laugh at how Naruto eyed women warily for the next few weeks. Not even demure little Hinata was spared from his suspicion.
"Do you disagree, sensei?" Naruto voice interrupted his reminiscing.
"Mah, Mah, I believe you are ready my cute little genin. It will be harder to convince the Hokage, especially when you are involved Naruto." Kakashi replied.
"I'll convince Hokage-jiji. I'm sure of it." Naruto said with a nod
"Very well, if we want to get a C-rank we should proceed to the tower now then since most require travel outside of Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire) they are usually distributed in the morning. If we are lucky, there should still be one available." Kakashi said.
Team 7 left the training ground and began making their way to the Hokage Tower.
Mission Assignment Room – Hokage Tower
Team 7 walked towards the Mission assignment desk where the Hokage and Iruka were currently working on organizing mission scrolls by severity.
The Hokage looked up and noticed that Team 7 was much earlier than usual. He sighed to himself as he knew what was coming next and he wasn't looking forward to it. If Naruto used those damn puppy dog eyes on him, he was done for. It must have been a blood line that the 12-year-old could still get away with using those eyes on him.
"So, I assume your team is here to request a mission? Well, Tora is available still since you guys have proven so successful with it in the past." Hiruzen said with a smile.
Sasuke and Hinata scowled while Naruto shook his head and crossed his arms.
"No jiji, we are ready to advance onto harder missions. We have met all the requirements, and we should be doing C-ranks now. Besides, I already know where Tora is." Naruto replied while crossing his arms over his chest.
"Is that so? How do you know where Tora is already Naruto-kun?" Hiruzen asked.
"Tora always sleeps in the mint plants on my balcony in the mornings," Naruto replied.
"You believe you are ready for a C-rank already? I don't know Naruto-kun, it has only been a few months since you graduated." Hiruzen said with a frown.
"I know jiji, but we completed enough missions already because we have strong teamwork. Even Kakashi-sensei says we are ready." Naruto said seriously. He thought he was above the puppy dog eyes, but he might have to play dirty now.
"Do you agree with that Kakashi?" Hiruzen asked.
"I do Hokage-sama, Team 7 has been working extra hard, and I believe they are capable of lower level C-ranks like diplomatic parcel delivery or escort missions," Kakashi said
Hiruzen saw the look in Naruto's eyes and resigned himself to the inevitable. He began to look through the more simple C-rank mission requests when he noticed a messenger hawk land on the closest window perch with a red message scroll tied to its leg.
Hiruzen frowned when he noticed the red scroll and quickly hurried over to the hawk to remove the scroll. Red message scrolls usually called for aid from teams under attack, and there were only two teams who were out on missions that expected any combat.
"It looks like you will somewhat get your wish, Naruto-kun. This is a support request from Team 8 who just took their first C-rank escort mission four days ago. It appears they were ambushed by an A rank missing nin, Zabuza Momochi the Demon of the Mist. Kurenai was able to keep the client protected and drive Zabuza off, but they are certain that Zabuza has an accomplice that is probably C or B rank. Apparently this missing-nin is also supported by a mercenary force as well." Hiruzen repeated with a frown.
"Hokage-sama, Zabuza was one of the former seven swordsmen of Kiri! You can't be serious about sending another genin team after him." Iruka protested.
"No. I'm sending Kakashi after Zabuza. Two Jōnin and six genin should be capable of handling this threat, as long as Kakashi and Kurenai focus on the missing-nin. I trust the genin are more than capable of handling the thugs." Hiruzen stated.
"Team 7 these are your mission objectives. You are to support Team 8 in the protection of Tazuna as he builds a bridge in Nami no Kuni (Land of Waves) at the request of the Water Daimyō. Tazuna must remain uninjured and capable of working throughout the duration of this mission. The Water Daimyō has paid a significant fee to use Konoha's most famous engineer to build this bridge, and Tazuna is a valuable asset to Konoha, who must be protected. You are authorized to use lethal force against anyone attempting to harm Tazuna or disrupt the construction of the bridge through malicious means. Once the bridge is complete, you can leave Team 8 to escort Tazuna back to his home here within the village unless you determine there is still a threat to his safety. Do you understand?" Hiruzen asked
"Yes, we understand Hokage-sama/jiji." Team 7 replied.
"Now Tazuna estimated that construction of the bridge would take four weeks in his initial agreement that was signed between the Water and Fire Daimyō, so pack supplies to last for two months, in case of delays. You are dismissed." Hiruzen added.
Hiruzen watched as Naruto left with his team and couldn't help but be worried for him. This mission would most likely have them perform their first kill. With no one especially close to Naruto to support him, Hiruzen was worried how much of an impact it would have on his psyche. He could only hope that one of his teammates or Kakashi would be able to help him cope with his first kill.
As Team 7 exited the Hokage Tower, Kakashi got their attention.
"Okay, team you know the drill we need to hurry to support our comrades, so you have 1 hour to supply yourselves to camp for 2 months time and meet at the East gate," Kakashi said
"Yes, sensei!" The genin recited then they all dashed off to pack.
5 minutes later - Naruto's Apartment
Naruto began to lay out everything he needed for his mission on the floor of the living room. His tent and another camping equipment were already sealed into a scroll, so he would just need to make room for his extra clothing and pick up some rations from the market on his way to the gate. He would have to seal extra weapons and tools into his arm wraps and leave some of his training scrolls and books behind.
As Naruto began sealing all his equipment away, he began to get a little anxious. He knew that they were going to see combat on this mission. He was aware that he would probably have to kill someone.
"Do not concern yourself over its kit, you can consider it cleansing the world of filth like if your foot were stuck in the mud," Kurama said with a yawn.
'Still, they are living beings, I don't know how I will feel once I actually end their life.' Naruto said.
"You should not dwell on it now kit there is nothing you can do but prepare for the battle. Over analyzing such things will only cause you to hesitate and you can not afford that to occur when your life may be on the line." Kurama said encouragingly.
'I know, I just realized what would happen now you know. I also have a feeling that something more is going to happen on this mission. Something major is gonna change because of this, and I don't know if it will be a good or a bad thing. I don't know how to describe it really.' Naruto said with a frown.
"Whatever may come kit, all you can do is face it head on. Trying to find the purpose in a moment is often difficult if not impossible at that moment. It is only when you look back that you can truly understand." Kurama advised.
'I understand, Kurama. Let's get this show on the road.'
Naruto double checked his apartment to make sure he didn't miss anything then left.
45 minutes later - Konoha East Gate
Naruto arrived to see Sasuke standing near the guard station with his hands in his pockets and a backpack on his back. Sasuke nodded in greeting towards him but didn't comment on his lack of backpack. Naruto moved up next to him and leaned back against the guard station to assume his stoic pose.
Hinata walked up with her backpack and a larger pouch on her hip. She studied her teammates as she approached and was curious as to why Naruto didn't have any extra equipment with him.
"Naruto-kun, are you certain you have everything you need?" Hinata asked curiously.
"Don't worry Hinata-chan, I added a few more storage seals to my clothing last month so I have plenty of room," Naruto replied.
"Of course, how could I have forgotten. I will have to ask you to put some seals onto some of my ninja gear for me when we get back." Hinata said.
"It's no problem Hinata-chan, I will be happy to add them for you, but they may stick out on your jacket since I don't really have any ink in that color. Your pants should be fine, as well as adding more to your kunai holster and shuriken pouch." Naruto said
"Won't you be unable to access the stuff if your clothing gets damaged?" Sasuke asked.
"Yea. If the seal itself gets torn or cut in a way that I can't piece it back together, then it is possible to lose those items. I managed to create a sealing tag that allows me to recover the items, as long as I still have a piece of the original seal intact. It takes a very large amount of chakra and time, however, so depending on the item I might not bother." Naruto replied.
Kakashi appeared in a Shunshin (Body Flicker) "Well my cute little genin, are we ready? We will need to travel at full speed without stops to reach the ferries before they shut down for low tide."
"We are ready sensei." Team 7 replied.
"Oi Kakashi-sensei, when you gonna teach us how to Shunshin?" Naruto asked as they headed out the gate.
"I'll tell you what' Naruto. If you guys perform well on this mission, I will teach it to you in time for the next Chūnin Exams. How does that sound?" Kakashi said before leaping up into the trees to begin traveling at speed.
Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke followed after him and were easily able to keep up with him as they leaped through the branches faster than most people could see.
"Kakashi-sensei, aren't the next Chūnin exams a year away from now?" Hinata asked.
"No Hinata, there is another Chūnin exam scheduled to be held in Konoha six months from now," Kakashi replied.
"Do you think we will be ready for them in time, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.
"Well from a team perspective you guys are very close. You mainly just lack in experience. If this mission goes well, and the Hokage allows you to concentrate only on C rank missions until then, you will be ready as a team. However, that is not enough in itself."
"Why not Kakashi-sensei? I thought teamwork was the most important thing to worry about." Naruto asked.
"Because the finals of the Chūnin Exams are always solo combat in Konoha. If we were to take the exams in Kiri or Iwa, it might be different. Let's break down your individual skills so you can understand better." Kakashi said.
"Naruto, the only jutsu you have in your arsenal not counting any Kage Bunshin variants are Fūton: Reppūshō (Gale Palm), Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu (Water Bullet), Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Great Fireball), and Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu (Headhunter Jutsu). While that is impressive for a genin, you have no real defensive jutsu. If you had to Kawarimi out of a situation recently or there are no items to replace yourself with, it could end badly for you." Kakashi paused to think for a moment then continued.
"Your fūinjutsu is excellent for your age, but your taijutsu is still at mid to high Genin level when you would want it to be at least mid-Chūnin level. If you tried to apply seals using your clones, you would mostly be unsuccessful. Especially if you face a kenjutsu specialist. With the Kage Bunshin, you do have a chance, but you need to improve your taijutsu or learn a new style to apply those seals efficiently. If you do that and learn a defensive jutsu, I think you will be able to do well."
Naruto merely nodded as he could not argue with what Kakashi had said. He was well aware that his taijutsu was subpar, but he had no way of learning any new styles, and he had been relying on Hinata and Sasuke to fill that gap for him. He would have spoken with Kurama when he woke up, to try and find a solution.
"For Hinata, I think you need to learn some elemental jutsu in order to give you some ranged attacks. Everyone knows what the Hyūga specialize in, and they will use that knowledge to keep you at a distance. We will need to test your elemental affinity and work on elemental chakra control. Your Hakke Rokujūyon Shō (Eight Trigrams 64 palms) and Hakkeshō Kaiten (Eight Trigrams Palm Rotation) are just not enough in my opinion." Kakashi said.
Hinata was a little uneasy with Kakashi's suggestions. She honestly didn't know anyone who used elemental jutsu in her clan and was uncertain how her father would react. She would have to speak to him about it since it seemed like a gross oversight for them not to utilize more ranged techniques, but she also knew that the Elders considered the Hakkeshō Kaiten as the ultimate defense, capable of stopping anything.
"Sasuke here needs more work on his kenjutsu with the chokuto. Considering that he started recently, he is doing quite well, but to wield it in an arena setting, you still need more experience. Your taijutsu needs to improve, but that is only because it was designed for the Sharingan. You also are lacking in the jutsu department since you only have multiple Katon (Fire) jutsu and don't have any defensive jutsu. There is a good chance you might awaken your Sharingan on this mission, though. If you do unlock it, we may be able to train your usage of the Sharingan in time for the exams, but it will be hard for me to say for certain until we near the exam dates." Kakashi said.
Sasuke just scowled. When Kakashi laid out his skills like that, he realized how truly lacking he was. Naruto had about as much as he did if you didn't include the fact that he also had fūinjutsu knowledge. Sure he had skills with the chokuto and stronger taijutsu, but he should have more jutsu under his belt. He would have to try and get some of those other jutsu from Naruto when he had a chance.
"Hmm, so that means that I will need to convince you to teach us Shunshin right?" Naruto asked.
"Shunshin might work well for you Naruto, with your massive chakra reserves, but Sasuke and Hinata would probably only be able to use it once or twice in a fight with their current reserves," Kakashi replied.
The team traveled on for a few more hours before they reached the nearest ferry dock to Nami no Kuni. Kakashi secured their tickets, and they waited at the bow of the ship for it to depart. It was late afternoon when they arrived, and the ocean was somewhat turbulent with waves. There was a stiff wind blowing inland from the sea which prompted Naruto to unseal his sweater and put it on.
So far no one had called him out for wearing a girl's sweater, so he felt secure about wearing it now. He thought it was odd that they didn't make sweaters for men that had this sleeve length
Naruto looked out at the vastness of the ocean and took in all the scents and sounds around him. He wondered what lie across the ocean and what it was like to make a long voyage like he had read about in books. One of the books he read mentioned these massive boats that held thousands of people and traveled to different cities.
Soon the ferry set out towards Nami no Kuni and Kakashi enjoyed the looks of wonder on his genin's faces when some whales and dolphins were spotted. Not even stoic little Naruto could keep it hidden when the dolphins drew close to the ferry and started swimming along the side of it.
Kakashi put his book away and approached his team, then motioned to them to follow him into a cabin. Once the door was shut, Kakashi turned to them and said "Okay guys, listen up. We will be landing in town shortly, and we will need to scout for information for Team 8 since they have been identified. I want all of you to think of a good Henge to blend in with your assigned areas and prepare to scout different sectors of town to find information."
"Naruto, you will scout the docks and the warehouses. You will need to wait until we land and find a secluded place to summon some Kage Bunshin. Make sure they allHenge into different dockworkers and spread out." Naruto nodded and made his Henge look like a mix of two sailors he saw earlier.
"Sasuke, I want you to hit the local tavern by the docks where the sailors and dock workers frequent. Listen in on what the local thugs are talking about but be prepared to flee. Those bars tend to get rowdy, and you do not want to risk your cover." Sasuke made his Henge look similar to the captain of the ferry and grunted his affirmation.
"Hinata, you will take the bar at the inn in the center of town and will listen to what the townspeople and businessman are saying about the state of things." Hinata nodded as well and decided to Henge into a middle aged business woman to avoid too much male attention.
"We will meet up at the town hall building in two hours time," Kakashi instructed before he used Henge to look like a shop keeper and left the cabin. The rest of the team left the cabin in intervals of 10 minutes in case someone spotted them in the hall.
After he had disembarked the ferry, Naruto found a darkened alley and summoned ten Kage Bunshin. Five of the clones henged into various cats and began scouting around and inside the warehouses while the other five clones henged into random dockworkers and fisherman and began wandering around the docks.
Naruto was studying the ships themselves as he strolled through the dockyards. The different ships and layouts were interesting to him, and he wondered at how the difference affected each boat. He also noted all boats had a name and their country written on them. Some of the boats were from countries he did not recognize.
He saw one large boat and one smaller boat that had Kiri listed, but the vast majority of the ships had Nami no Kuni listed. After studying all the boats along the docks, Naruto looped back towards the town center and realized almost an hour had passed already. Naruto decided to head over to the rendezvous point and look at some of the market stands on the way.
As he neared the town hall building, his eyes suddenly widened when one of his cat clones dispersed. Naruto scowled as he processed the information he received. The cat bunshin had discovered a few Kumo missing-nin hiding out in a warehouse. The clone had overheard them talking about how their friends had received information about a female Hyūga arriving in town today, and that the other two were out getting information on their target now.
The cat bunshin had moved closer to study what they looked like and noticed that one was a short teenager with a scar over his eye and blonde hair, probably a few years older than himself. The second one was a tall green haired kunoichi with two tantōs.
The missing-nins spoke about their plans to join the thugs, who were going to attack the bridge builder, and kidnap the Hyūga girl during the battle. They would bring the Hyūga girl back to Kumo to try and get their missing-nin status revoked by the Raikage. They also talked about what would happen to the Hyūga once they got her.
Naruto clenched his fist and took a deep breath. There was no way he was going to let those bastards kidnap Hinata. The lewd things that the teenager was saying about how they would use her to breed more Hyūga like she was an animal enraged him. He wouldn't let them hurt his friend like that.
Kurama awoke when he sensed Naruto's rage and reviewed the past few minutes of memories before replying. "Typical greedy scum, what can you expect. They desire only her power, but what is most troubling is that they received this information and arrived here in the same time frame that you departed. Quite convenient for them, is it not?"
'I told you I had a feeling about this mission. This is just a small piece of what is going on here Kurama, I can feel it. Someone set up events here for some reason, but for what?' Naruto replied with a worried tone.
"I suspect that you are correct that this is a small part; however, I do not believe all of the events are related. That the other team of filth would be attacked on their mission is not linked. This so called demon of the mist is likely not involved either." Kurama said before adding, "There is another force at play here, but we have not seen their true hand. The ones that the cat clone discovered are merely the pawns to serve as the distraction."
'How could they have known we were heading here so quickly? We left this morning and took less than a day to arrive!' Naruto was at a loss.
"You already know the answer to that, kit. Someone in Konoha betrayed your team to them. The question is, who?" Kurama snarled.
Naruto internally shook his head'But the only people who knew were jiji, Iruka-sensei, and Team 7. I didn't sense anything malicious or deceptive from them.'
"Those are not the only ones who would be aware of such things, kit. There are the gate guards, the ones who take mission requests or create schedules. Many of the lesser beings that are beneath your notice may be involved, or the elite guard unit of the Hokage could be involved." Kurama said as he reviewed more of Naruto's memories to try and track a potential suspect.
'You're talking about Anbu! Could it be possible?' Naruto was in disbelief.
"Anything is possible, kit. Keep your senses active," Kurama warned.
Naruto arrived at the rendezvous location 10 minutes early and saw Sasuke waiting. Naruto was surprised when Sasuke immediately grabbed him and drug him into a nearby alleyway. After he looked around, he looked back at Naruto with narrowed eyes full of suspicion.
"How are you involved with Root? Answer me!" he said between gritted teeth.
Naruto could sense anger and betrayal from Sasuke and was confused.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Naruto replied with a scowl.
"Don't fucking lie to me. Don't fucking blow me off like this nothing Naruto, tell me the fucking truth." Sasuke growled.
"I'm not lying, I don't know what you are talking about because I don't have anything to do with those Root bastards." Naruto hissed.
"If that is true then why are there Root operatives here talking about you huh? Why would Root mention your name at all if you weren't involved with them in some way." Sasuke spat.
"I don't know why those bastards are here, but I'm guessing it is because they are trying to kidnap me and force me to join them again. Just like last time." Naruto said with a scowl.
"Why would they do that to you? For what purpose?" Sasuke demanded.
"They believe I have special chakra, and they have been after me for it since I was 6 years old." Naruto snapped, "They are the ones who spread all these rumors to make the village hate me so that they would attack me and force Hokage-jiji into giving me up to Root for my own safety. They sent a mob to try and kidnap me, but I ran out into the woods, a group of drunks found me and decided to beat the shit out of me and stabbed me with a fucking kunai. If an Anbu team hadn't been nearby, I probably would have died" Naruto couldn't stop the shudder when he experienced flashbacks of his attack. "After that, the Hokage had to take me in to keep me safe from them, but Root wasn't done fucking with my life just yet. Those assholes took my only friends from the orphanage and used them to try and manipulate me into joining. I refused to join, but then my friends turned their backs on me and betrayed me." Naruto snarled.
Sasuke just studied him for a moment before he let out a sigh and put his right hand on Naruto's shoulder. He felt guilty for making Naruto bring up his past like that. Sasuke had more respect for him now because he realized that Naruto's life had been just as fucked up as his was by Root.
"I'm sorry about that Naruto, I didn't realize. I just got so mad when I heard those Root assholes mention your name, I couldn't think straight. Those fuckers ruined my life too." Sasuke murmured.
"What did those bastards do to you anyways?" Naruto asked.
"They killed my whole family and framed my brother for it," Sasuke said with his eyes closed.
Naruto gasped when he heard that. "You mean Itachi wasn't involved at all? How did they frame him for it?"
"Itachi had been a part of Root when he was younger, but they put him into Anbu when he reached the level of captain. He was supposed to be one of the Root moles, but Jiraiya the Toad Sannin knew somehow. Jiraiya removed all the seals that Danzō placed on Itachi when he was a recruit and Itachi was freed from his control. He told them about all the things Root did to children, how they funded and supplied the bloodline purge in Kiri just so that Root could get some recruits with bloodlines. Itachi was tired of all the dirty bullshit and assassination missions he was doing in Root, and once he was freed the Hokage let him have a simple guard mission in the village during the day while he spied on Root at night." Tears started pouring from Sasuke's eyes, but he kept them shut and clenched his left fist until his knuckles starting to turn white.
"My father had also been working with the Hokage on taking down Root, but then my Uncle Shisui disappeared. No one knew what happened to him. Then they found him dead with his fucking eyes cut out." Sasuke held back a sob. "The next thing I know the Uchiha police are saying that my brother murdered Shisui and want to arrest him. Two weeks later, I come home from practice at the Academy, and everyone was fucking dead. I mean everyone, even the babies were cut down." Sasuke choked up for a minute before continuing with his story. "I found my brother crying over the bodies of my mother and father. He had tried to save them, but there were too many Root Anbu and this other masked bastard that Itachi didn't recognize. He showed me what happened with a Sharingan specific genjutsu called Tsukiyomi, which lets you experience three days in a matter of seconds, and he showed me everything that happened." Sasuke let out a sob at that before he covered his mouth with his hand.
Naruto put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder to offer his silent support and waited for Sasuke to gather himself. While he had never had family and the pain from his friends betraying him was bad, he couldn't imagine how bad it felt for your entire family and clan to be murdered. What kind of bastards killed little babies? What was the point of wiping them out like that? The more Naruto thought about it, the sicker he felt.
Kurama snorted in disgust but didn't say anything.
"Then I wake up in the Hospital, and everyone is talking about how my brother went crazy and killed everyone. That my family were a bunch of traitors. Those fucking people looking at me with pity and being so sickeningly sweet to me with one breath, and calling my dad and my brother traitors with the other. I hated them so much." Sasuke took a deep breath and took a few moments to regain his composure. Naruto just squeezed his shoulder a little for encouragement.
"That's why my goal is to kill that fucker Danzō. He murdered my uncle and took his eyes to use his Kotoamatsukami on the council, maybe even the Hokage. I don't know. My uncle said you can convince anyone to do whatever you want with a glance with that ability, and they would think it was their idea in the first place. They marked my brother as a traitor and that asshole harvested my families eyeballs like they were plucking grapes off a vine." Sasuke said shakily.
"I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch, no matter what happens. Even if Konoha marks me as a traitor and I have to go missing-nin, I don't care. I will avenge my family and my brother. Will you help me Naruto? Will you help me get strong enough to kill that bastard for what he has done?" Sasuke looked up at Naruto with a determined gaze.
Naruto didn't sense any deception from him and nodded. Root was something the Naruto wanted to destroy for what they had done to him, but what Danzō did to Sasuke was proof that he needed to be eliminated.
"I also want to kill that bastard, but I think you don't have to worry about Hokage-jiji. I trust him. He isn't being controlled by that son of a bitch and I know it for a fact, because if he were, then Root would have gotten me a long time ago." Naruto said with conviction.
"Do you really think he wasn't involved with what happened to my family? How could the Hokage not know about that?" Sasuke said in disbelief.
"I think the problem is like you said, I believe that Hokage-jiji knows what that asshole did, but maybe he used your uncle's eyes on the council, and they voted against him. Maybe they are the ones who declared your brother missing-nin. Even if Hokage-jiji wanted to go against it, the only way he could overrule a unanimous council decision on such a matter would mean bringing proof to the Fire Daimyō." Naruto said.
"Then the Daimyō would have to speak with Danzō about the accusations, to give him a chance to defend himself since there is no proof," Sasuke said as it dawned on him.
"If that bastard has an eye to change people's minds, he would use it on the Daimyō to get whatever he wanted. Maybe that's why Hokage-jiji hasn't done anything yet, either that or he is waiting for proof to take that bastard down. Hokage-jiji has told me in the past that he had people investigating that bastard, but Root has a lot of spies in the shinobi force so it is hard to catch him in the act." Naruto said.
"My uncle said that the Kotoamatsukami ability has a long recharge time and if a non-Uchiha has it implanted the recharge time is even longer. So Danzō would have to save it for a very important event. Now that you told me about what happened to you, I think you are right. He hasn't used it on the Hokage because he is saving it for the Daimyō." Sasuke replied.
"That's not the only thing. I heard some Kumo missing-nins while I was scouting. They were told about Hinata coming here to defend the bridge builder. The only way they could know that already is if someone in Konoha told them that we were coming here. That means we have a traitor watching our team." Naruto added.
"It's our whole team Naruto! They are after all of us, the Root members in town were talking about you and me, but they were using code so I couldn't understand everything they were saying, but they kept mentioning your name, and they mentioned mine as well." Sasuke said.
"Shit. We gotta tell Kakashi-sensei, this could be a lot worse than I thought. We have how are many people planning to attack us? He has to warn Hokage-jiji." Naruto turned to walk out of the alley, but Sasuke grabbed his arm.
"We can't trust Kakashi-sensei about this," Sasuke hissed.
"What? Why not?" Naruto said in confusion.
"My brother told me that Kakashi-sensei was a part of Root. Think about it Naruto, it makes sense! He won't tell us how he got his Sharingan. He didn't even mention it until you spoke about it during that one survival training trip we went on. He failed every single genin team he ever got until, magically, here we are you a Root target and me a Root target. Hell, Hinata might be a target for them too, maybe that's why they sent those missing-nin. That asshole must want her eyes as well. There are only a few Hyūga whose eyes they could take because of the cursed seal Hinata talks about, and she doesn't have the seal." Sasuke said in a whisper.
Naruto didn't know what to think. Kakashi did use a lot of deception, but it wasn't all the time. He didn't really seem to be a traitor, and he seemed too eccentric and emotional to be a Root member. Jiji always said that you would recognize Root members because they were completely emotionless and incapable of acting like ordinary people.
"The filthy Uchiha is right about some things, but you need not fear the silver sloth pervert. He will not betray you. His deceptions are minor and are used for instruction or to misdirect you from gathering information on himself. I have sensed no treachery from him." Kurama said.
'Yea, but I can't just tell Sasuke "Hey don't worry the Kyūbi says he's totally cool."' Naruto snapped
Kurama snorted "Calm down kit and focus. This is a dangerous situation, you can not be emotional right now. Think it through and an answer will come."
Naruto closed his eyes in thought and crossed his arms.
He opened his eyes after a few minutes and said "Look Sasuke, we gotta tell him about some of it at least. I know that you don't trust him, but I don't think he is one of those bastards. You've seen how lazy and goofy he can be at times. Let's tell him about the Kumo-nins, so he is at least prepared for a bigger fight. It wouldn't be cool if he isn't a traitor and the Root guys finish him off. What if he was in the same situation as Itachi? Hokage-jiji told me that Kakashi was genin by age 8 and became Anbu by age 13. Does that sound familiar to you?" Naruto said.
Sasuke thought it over for a moment before he nodded. If what Naruto said was true, then Kakashi was almost exactly like Itachi was but Kakashi was definitely not cold and impassive like Itachi had been.
"Okay. Just about the Kumo-nins, then we keep our eyes on him when Root comes after us. No matter what we've got each others backs, agreed?" Sasuke held out his hand.
"Agreed, no matter what we've got each other backs," Naruto repeated.
Sasuke and Naruto gripped each other's forearms and shook their arms once to seal the deal.
"Once this all goes down there is no way that jiji won't find out about all of it. If you want Sasuke, I can try to find out the truth about Itachi. He might not tell me everything, but jiji has never lied to me. He just leaves things out instead." Naruto said
"I'll think about it Naruto, but you know how it is for people like us. People treat us differently because of foolish misconceptions, and you wonder if they are merely spying on you or plotting against you." Sasuke said.
"Yea it's a bad way to have to live, but at least, we aren't alone in this anymore. Even with jiji looking out for me, I always had to wonder if they would attack me again. I always had to wonder if they would attack Shikamaru or Choji because we were friends or if they would try to use you or Hinata against me as well. At least now we both know we aren't alone in this fight. Naruto said.
"I guess you are right about that. I just can't trust the Hokage so easily until I know the truth. We better go, or Kakashi-sensei will get suspicious." Sasuke said.
As Naruto and Sasuke walked back out of the alleyway, they saw Hinata and Kakashi waiting for them.
"What were you guys doing back there?" Hinata asked.
"I thought someone was following me so I went into the alley to see if they followed and Naruto was already there," Sasuke said.
"I got here really early and decided to stay out of sight, so I decided to conceal myself inside the alley to avoid drawing attention to myself," Naruto added.
"Why were you so early Naruto?" Kakashi asked.
"One of my cat clones found out something important, so I came back right away to see if I could warn you guys," Naruto replied.
"Cat clones?" Kakashi asked
"Yea Kage Bunshin henged into a cat, so they could sneak inside the warehouses easier," Naruto said
'I should have known.' Kakashi thought before shaking his head. "Okay, What did you learn?"
"Some Kumo missing-nins came into town today, and they said they had information about a Hyūga girl coming to watch the bridge builder. They stated that they were gonna capture the Hyūga girl and take her back to Kumo to try and to get the Raikage to get rid of their missing-nin status. Someone told them that Hinata was going to be here." Naruto said gravely.
Hinata gasped out loud and shivered a bit.
Kakashi also stiffened, and Naruto could sense that he was really pissed. "Did you get any other information on them? Any little thing could be substantial."
"Well the cat clone did look at them, and there was one with blonde hair that was probably two or three years older than us he had a scar on his right eye. There was also a kunoichi with long green hair maybe twenty-five to thirty years old, and she had two tantōs. They also mentioned two other missing-nins who were out looking for their target." Naruto recited.
"Good work. Naruto. We will need to be prepared for an extra group at least then. How about you Sasuke? Did you hear anything?" Kakashi looked at Sasuke.
"I heard that this guy named Gato was hiring more mercenaries and that he was paying good ryō for people who could fight. They also mentioned that they would not need to hire any more mercenaries after two weeks." Sasuke said.
"How about you Hinata, did you hear anything?" Kakashi asked.
Hinata jerked a little but quickly recomposed herself. "I heard more about Gato and how he has been trying to monopolize the shipping companies and has been charging massive tariffs on goods his ships transport. Some people estimate that Gato has control of 70% of the shipping for the country now and that he apparently is at odds with the Daimyō, but the businessmen were arguing over whether the Daimyō is incapable of stopping Gato or if he is getting paid off by Gato to look the other way. The rest of the businessmen were arguing that the Daimyō was stepping up efforts to take Gato down and stop his monopoly." Hinata said.
"Very good, so it is likely that Zabuza and these other thugs were hired by Gato so he could stop the bridge builder. These Kumo missing-nins will probably infiltrate that group and wait for the attack on us to target Hinata." Kakashi said.
Kakashi summoned Pakkun and gave him the support request scroll so he could pick up Kurenai's scent. Once Pakkun had a trail, Team 7 followed behind him.
Kakashi's mind was running a mile a minute, and he almost sighed out loud. This C-rank mission just became as complicated as an A-rank mission in just one day, and if his suspicions were right, it would be a high S-rank mission if the writing on the wall was any indication. Everything he had seen and heard pointed to a more complicated plot at hand. He hoped he was simply paranoid, but his time in Anbu had taught him that paranoia was more healthy than detrimental for shinobi like him. He hoped that things wouldn't get even more complicated by the time this was over so that he could keep his little genin safe.
Kakashi and the rest of Team 7 just had no idea how complicated things were about to get.